String clip



0t.6,193s. C. FLOOD 056380 STRING CLIP Filed July 24, 1954 kar? e La:

Patented Get. 6, 1936 UNTED STATES STRING CLIP Carl A. Flood, Framingham, Mass., assigner to Dennison Manufacturing` Company, Framing# ham, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application July 24, 1934, Serial No. 736,692

3 Claims.

This invention relates to the art of attaching together two string portions, such as the two ends of a looped piece of string, and more particularly to the art of attaching tags to garments and other merchandise by means of string loops as described in my copending application Serial No. 696,017, filed October 31, 1933 for String ticket attaching device.

While it has been proposed to secure string ends together with a metallic clip this proposal has not been successful, chiefly for the reason that the clip when clamped around the string, tends to cut the string, thereby weakening the string so that it breaks too easily at the clip. Another dificulty is involved in feeding and applying the clips owing to their minute size. Consequently, it has been customary to attach the string ends merely by knotting them together, notwithstanding the fact that the knots may be readily untiedand the fact that it is frequently desirable to prevent open- 20 ing of the string loop without cutting the string.

In department stores, for example, it is desirable to apply price tickets to garments so that customers may not remove the tickets, wear the gar- 25 ments and then replace the tickets in such a way that the removal and replacement cannot be detected when the garments are returned for credit; and for certain types of merchandise the looped string is the preferred means of attachment.

Objects of the present invention are to fasten string ends so that they may not be readily unfastened and refastened in such a way as to avoid detection, and to provide for the purpose clips which do not tend to cut the string when applied thereto, which may be supplied to the user in convenient form and which may be applied rapidly and economically.

For the purpose of illustrating the genus of the invention a typical concrete embodiment is shown in the accompanying drawing in which,

Fig. l is a side View of a roll of clips;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a short section of the strip of clips;

Fig. 3 is a side view of a short section of the strip showing parts in section;

Fig. 4 is a side view of one of the clips applied to the ends of a piece of string looped through a ticket and a piece of fabric;

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

In the particular embodiment of the invention chosen for the purpose of illustration each clip comprises a short section of flat wire bent into U-shape, the legs l being approximately parallel to each other and approximately perpendicular to the central web portion 2. Mounted on the inside face of the web portion 2 is a cushion 3, preferably in the form of a thin piece of paper cemented to the web 2 as indicated at 4. As shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the paper 3 is preferably in the form 5 of a long strip carrying a plurality of clips, the paper being secured only to the webs of the clips so that the strip of attached clips is free to flex as shown in Fig. 3, whereby the strips may be wound into the form of a roll, as illustrated in 10 Fig. 2, for shipment from manufacturer to user and for the convenience of the user in feeding and applying the clips individually, particularly when employing for the purpose a device of the type disclosed in the aforesaid copending application.

To illustrate the preferred mode of application of the clips, Fig. 4 shows at C one of the clips applied to the two ends of a piece of string looped through a ticket T and a piece of fabric F. In applying the clip to the string ends 1 and 8, the two strands are disposed side by side on the cushion 3 between the two legs I and the two legs are then folded over the strands, as shown in Fig.

5, tightly compressing the strands 1 and 8 and the cushion 3 between the folded legs l and the 25 web 2.r The pad 3 not only cushions the blow when the legs of the clips are swaged over, thereby greatly reducing the tendency of the strands to be cut or weakened by this pinching action, but it also serves materially to increase the friction between the strands and the clip, thereby greatly reducing the tendency of slippage between the l clips and the strands and permitting the use of somewhat less pressure in folding the legs of the clips over the strands; and where a plurality of clips are mounted on an elongate strip of paper,

as illustrated in Figs. l, 2, and 3, the paper also serves as a carrier for the clips, which are usually of extremely small proportion, thereby greatly facilitating handling of the clips, it being understood of course that individual clips mayfbe removed from the strip merely by cutting or tearing the paper along the junction line between adjacent clips.

Another characteristic of the present invention consists in rounding the edges of the clips, thereby facilitating the flexing of the strips of clips as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 and also greatly reducing the tendency of the clips to cut the strands around which they are clamped, as will be evident from Fig. 6.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims. For example, while the ends of the clip have been illustrated in end-to-end relationship after the clip has been clamped around the string it will of course be understood that the ends may be disposed in other relationships as for example in overlapping relationship.

I claim:

1. A U-shaped clip for fastening together a plurality of strands by folding the legs of the clip around the strands, characterized in that the clip is in the form of a flat wire having its edges rounded, and by a layer of material fast to the clip and confined substantially to the inside fiat surface of its base.

2. A U-shaped clp for fastening together a.

plurality of strands by folding the legs of the clip around the strands, characterized by a layer of relatively soft material fast to the clip and confined substantially to the inside of the base of the clip.

3. A strip of fasteners comprising a series of juxtaposed U-shaped members for fastening parts together by folding the legs of the fasteners over the parts, and a band of material interconnecting the clips, the band being fastened to the inside 10 of the bases of the clips but not to the legs so that the strips may be Wound in a roll and said band being formed of material which cushions said parts when said legs are folded thereover.

CARL A. FLOOD. 

